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Red-spotted newt

Notophthalmus viridescens

The red-spotted newt has three distinct stages: larval, juvenile (“eft”), and adult. An aquatic larva has olive skin and feathery gills, and metamorphoses into an eft within two to five months. The land-dwelling eft develops toxic skin secretions and turns a bright orange to ward off predators. After two to three years, the eft returns to the water and matures into an adult. Dorsal coloration in an adult red-spotted newt can vary from yellowish-brown to greenish-brown based on age and sex. It develops the recognizable black-ringed red spots during this time. Adult size is 3-5 inches.

Animal Facts

Diet:

The red-spotted newt feeds on insects or any other small invertebrates.

Habitat:

This newt is common to small lakes, ponds and streams or wet forests of eastern North America.

Interesting Fact:

The red-spotted newt can find its way through unfamiliar locations by magnetoreception, an instinctual sense that allows certain species to detect the Earth’s magnetic field and orient themselves accordingly.

Interesting Fact:

Red spotted newts produce a number of different toxins, in different amounts. The type and amount of toxin varies locally, based on what is most toxic to local predators.